Posted on March 5, 2018
The U.S. Army Corp of Engineers will hold a public meeting March 6th, 2018 at 6:00pm at Carolina Beach Town Hall in the Council meeting room to hear public input on a study of beach nourishment for future projects.
According to Carolina Beach officials, “The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) is currently authorized for beach nourishment projects in Carolina Beach through 2020. They are now preparing a Carolina Beach Coastal Storm Risk Management Beach Renourishment Evaluation Report with an integrated environmental assessment. Completion of this study and subsequent federal authorization could allow continuance of cost shared periodic beach nourishments through 2029” subject to continued funding by Federal and non-federal sources.
The Town’s last beach renourishment project was in 2016 when the Army Corp of Engineers completed a project to pump sand on to the beach front in Carolina Beach and Kure Beach.
The cost for that joint Carolina Beach and Kure Beach project was $12,876,439.00. That price increased when additional sand was factored into the project. Following a pre-placement survey of the beach profile the project added another 120,000 cubic yards of sand in Carolina Beach in addition to the originally planned 770,000 cubic yards. Kure Beach received another 63,000 cubic yards in addition to the planned 592,000 cubic yards.
The project cost is shared with the Federal Government paying 65% and the State of North Carolina and local governments splitting the remaining 35%. A tax on hotel, motel, and vacation rental accommodations funds the local government portion of the project cost. Both Towns are on a three-year renourishment cycle with the next project scheduled for the Spring of 2019.
In a letter to the Town of Carolina Beach dated February 27th, Elden Gatwood – Chief, Planning and Environmental Branch, U.S. Army Corp of Engineers – wrote, “The study is being conducted under Section 1037 of the Water Resources Reform and Development Act of 2014, as amended, and will include evaluation of the existing project authorized by the Flood Control Act of 1962 and constructed in 1964. The sponsor for this project is the Town of Carolina Beach, with financial support from New Hanover County and the State of North Carolina.”
Gatwood explained, “We are now requesting comments from the public and agencies to identify significant resources and issues of concern with regard to the proposed extension of Federal participation in periodic nourishment. We anticipate that the current project footprint and borrow area in Carolina Beach Inlet will not change. The area of potential effect (APE) associated with this study is shown in figure 1. Comments received as a result of this scoping letter will be considered during preparation of the study and the EA.”
Resources known to occur in the study area include fisheries and benthic resources; threatened and endangered species, human resources (including socioeconomic, recreational and aesthetic resources); and cultural resources.
Citizens with questions regarding the meeting and process can contact Elden Gatwood at 910-251-4505 or via email at elden.j.gatwood@usace.army.mil
Source: Island Gazette
